


With Blue Skies Ahead

by idra



Series: 31 Days of Fic (August 2016) [15]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Angst, Injured Tony, M/M, Requited Unrequited Love, WIP
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-16
Updated: 2017-04-15
Packaged: 2018-08-09 02:29:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,791
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7783279
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/idra/pseuds/idra
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony goes to the Avengers' base to check up on everyone, then gets beat up after he leaves.  The Avengers (some of them at least) come to the rescue.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Yes I'm On My Way

**Author's Note:**

> Day 15, which means I'm all caught up finally. Sadly, this is going to be a WIP until the end of the month, which I hope I can then get more of this written. Many apologies for leaving you hanging for at least sixteen days.
> 
> Song for today is On My Way from Brother Bear.

Tony walks onto the Avengers base and looks around. It’s different. Everything looks the same, but it feels different. He turns his head, not surprised to see Natasha and Clint watching him. “Hi. How’s things?” 

Clint rolls his eyes and turns on his heel, walking away. Natasha watches him go and focuses back on Tony. “His wife left him and took his kids. Because of this.”

“Because he’s an Avenger? But he’d been working for SHIELD for...” Tony shrugs, not really knowing how long Clint had been in SHIELD. 

“Well, that and this.” She points to a TV screen. Tony takes a step back when he sees Phil Coulson standing there, talking to some guy. “Fury knew. Fury said you knew. I don’t believe everything that comes out of Fury’s mouth, but Clint loves Coulson. Has always loved Coulson. Their base is in Michigan or Minnesota or Montana or some place that starts with an M. He’s pissed that you hid this from him.”

“I didn’t know,” Tony mumbles, moving closer to the screen. He examines the Coulson look alike and turns to Natasha. “What does Cap have to say about this?” 

“Steve is off in seclusion with Bucky.” Natasha rolls her eyes a little. “No one but Sam is allowed to bother the lovebirds.”

“Oh,” Tony says, going back to staring at the television. “Is it really Coulson?” 

“Yeah. It’s him. And I don’t know why he didn’t bother trying to contact any of us. But I kind of thought... Maybe you and I could take Clint and possibly Steve and Bucky and Sam and find out exactly what the hell happened with Coulson.” 

Tony nods. “I’ll have an SUV brought up. Just us?” 

“Well, I’d leave off Bucky and Sam, since they didn’t know Coulson, but I don’t think Steve would agree. You know how he is about his beloved Bucky. Oh wait. No you don’t. Because you haven’t been here!” she says, pushing Tony. “How could you just leave us with this to deal with?” 

“Cap told me to get the fuck out of his life,” Tony replies. “I got him his precious, fucking Bucky back, with a new and improved arm, I might add, and he told me to get the fuck out, because he wanted nothing to do with me.” He shoves her hands off his chest. “I tried, Natasha. I tried to be his friend. I tried to help him. I gave him Bucky and he kicked me out of his life. So I did what he wanted-- what you wanted to-- I stayed away. You didn’t even want me on the Avengers. Neither did Nick. No one did. So guess what? You all got your fucking wish!” He turns on his heel. “I’ll have my private jet fly you and Clint to wherever the hell Coulson is. I’ll still back the Avengers, financially. But I am fucking done being everyone’s punching bag.” He turns on his heel and starts to stomp out, only to be stopped when he sees Steve standing in the doorway.

“What’s going on?” Steve asks, looking from Natasha to Tony. “I thought I told you to stay away.”

Tony runs a hand through his hair. “I wanted to check up on everyone. I thought I could be in and out without you ever knowing I was here. But anyhow, I’m leaving now. Goodbye,” Tony says, pushing past Steve. He gets out to his car, pulling out his tablet and ordering an SUV to take Natasha and Clint to the airport and also gets a plane ready at the nearby airfield for them to fly to wherever Coulson is at. He slides into the driver’s seat and sighs for a moment before he starts the engine.

“You left us. Left him.”

Tony jumps and turns to face the person who’d spoken. He rolls his eyes. “He told me to go. Besides, you get him all to yourself, Barnes, so what do you care?” 

“You’re an idiot. He told you to go because he thought you didn’t want to stay. You were going back to Pepper.”

Tony sighs. “All he ever had to do was ask me to stay. But he didn’t. He told me to go away. No, he literally said ‘Get the fuck out of my life, Stark!’ So I did. Get out of my car, Barnes. I’m done here.”

Bucky shakes his head. “You’re an idiot,” he repeats. “Fine. Run away.”

Tony rolls his eyes and reaches across, opening the passenger door and shoving Bucky out. “Leave me alone. Steve wants nothing to do with me; neither does anyone else. So no worries, I won’t darken your doorstep again.” He shuts the door and pulls out of the parking lot. He has no idea where he’s going to go at this point. He’d wanted to talk his way onto the team again, but obviously that was never going to happen. He checks his watch and sighs, heading to the airport. He’ll fly back to New York and go about his life.

He gets on board the plane and freezes. Four men are standing there, arms over their chest. “Uhm, hi. Sorry. This is a private plane. I’m sure you can order yourselves another flight.”

“Mr. Stark, what a pleasure to finally meet you face to face,” an older gentleman says, stepping out from behind the four men. Tony gets it now. These are the bodyguards, there to stop Tony from leaving and probably from getting to the suit. 

“I’d love to say the same, but I have no idea who the fuck you are or what the fuck you’re doing on my plane?” 

“My name is Andrew Cross, Mr. Stark. You have something I want.”

“Yeah, well, get in line.” Tony crosses his arms over his chest. He knows that he can’t get to his suits and he has no way to get away once the four men surround him. “Everyone seems to want something from me. And I’m sick and tired of giving everyone everything they want. I think it’s time that I get what I want and what I want is for you to get the fuck out of my plane.”

“Mr. Stark, I’m going to be nice about this. At first, anyhow. I don’t care about your suits, Mr. Stark. But I do want the reactor technology.”

“Too bad for you. The reactor is my property and no one else will ever get it. You can torture me, you can kill me, and I still won’t give it to you.”

“What if it weren’t you who my people tortured?” Cross points to one of his lackeys and the man presses a button on his phone and screams fill the air. Tony knows that scream. Someone has Natasha. But why is she letting them torture her? “Well? How do you feel about it now? Your lovely Natalie Rushman will die if you don’t give me what I want.”

“Can she hear us?” 

“Yes.” Cross smirks and crosses his arms over his chest. “Well, Mr. Stark? What’s it going to be?”

“Nat, stop screwing around and come get me. I can’t get to the suit with these Neanderthals watching me.”

“You ruin all my fun, Tony,” Natasha says. There’s three thuds then a cleared throat. “On my way. Don’t let them kill you before I get there. Steve will bring you back and kill you all over again.”

“Gotcha.” Tony smirks, shaking his head. “Did you honestly think it would be that easy, Cross? You didn’t even bother to research me. Natalie Rushman hasn’t worked for me in years. Though, if you had a brain, you’d know that there is a beautiful redhead on the Avengers.”

“Aw, I’m flattered, Stark.”

“Who says I’m talking about you? Pete has red hair.” 

“He does not. And he’s only fifteen,” Natasha says with a snort.

“Damn. You caught me.”

Cross scowls and gestures to the lackey closest to Tony. The man smashes his fist into Tony’s face and Tony goes down with a grunt. “This is not amusing, Stark. I’m done trying to be nice.”

“When the fuck were you ever nice?” Tony asks, bringing his forearm up between the lackey’s legs as hard as he can. He turns, punching the second one and swings for the third before the fourth man points a gun between his eyes. “Fuck. Of course you would pull a gun. Coward.” He no sooner says it than he’s being punched in the face again. He stays down on his knees this time, head hanging down. He breathes through his mouth, the pain in his jaw almost overwhelming him.

“Pick him up and let’s get going. We need to be out of here before his friends show up.”

Tony goes deadweight as two of the lackeys pick him up under the arms. He’s going to make this as hard for them as he can, without risking his own life. They’re quick to drag him off the plane, not caring that his body is bouncing down the steps until they reach the tarmac. They drop him to the ground and he curls up in a ball, groaning as one of the thugs kick him. 

He hears a motor and bites his lip hoping like hell it’s his... well, the Avengers at any rate. They aren’t his anything, but that’s neither here nor there. He stays curled up, letting the fighting that he’s hearing wash around him. When someone touches him, he gasps and jerks away, eyes widening. “Cap?”

“Shhh. Come on, Tony. Those guys are dealt with.”

Tony nods and pushes himself up to his knees. “Fuck. I think they broke my ribs.” He breathes as shallowly as he can, hoping like hell they didn’t damage the plate that covers his heart. He does not want to go through another heart surgery. He feels gentle hands pulling him to his feet and he leans against them, groaning. “Thanks, Tash.”

Natasha walks in front of him, one eyebrow raised. “You’re ridiculous,” she says. “Steve, the SUV is over here. Tony, we’re going to take you to the hospital.”

“No. No. I’m okay. They can’t do anything for broken ribs.” Tony turns his head, surprised to see Steve is the one holding him up. “Why’re you here? You hate me.”

“I don’t hate you. I just... We’ll talk later. Come on. You’re going to the hospital, just to get checked out. You don’t have to stay, even if they want you to. I just want to know how much damage they did.”

Tony shrugs, then winces. “Fine. Whatever.”

Steve nods and helps Tony into the SUV. Tony glances across the space, frowning a little at the sight of Bucky and Sam in the farthest seat back. “Go and sit with your boyfriend, Steve. I’ll be fine.”

Steve rolls his eyes and scoots in next to Tony, gently pressing it hand to Tony’s chest. “Does this hurt?” 

“Yeah.”

“Scale of one to ten?” 

“Like... Six. Maybe seven.”

“Okay.” Steve presses his hand to the plate that covers the hole in Tony’s chest. “Does this hurt?” 

“No. No pain there,” Tony mumbles, letting his head rest on the back of the seat. “Just the ribs, I think.”

“Good.” Steve removes his hand, sighing. “Could you have backed away?” 

“No. I was on the plane and surrounded before I realized they were there.” Tony looks around and spots Natasha climbing into the passenger seat. “Are you okay, Nat?” 

Natasha looks over her shoulder at him and smiles. “They never touched me. Clint and I had them tied up to chairs and I was just screaming to make the guys that had you think they were winning.”

Clint turns around in the driver’s seat and looks at Tony. “You look like shit, boss.” 

Tony snorts, wiping a hand over his face. He flinches and drops his hand when he realizes he’s easily gotten a black eye and a bruised jaw. “Thanks, Clint.”

“Hey. I’m sorry. I thought you knew about Phil.”

“I would’ve told you,” Tony says, twitching a little. “I would never have kept that from you or Natasha.”

“But you would’ve from us?” Sam asks from the back seat. 

“Sorry, bird boy. You don’t matter when it comes to Phil Coulson. You didn’t know him. You weren’t in New York. You weren’t there when Phil died.”

“Steve was,” Sam replies. 

“And he’d only just met Phil. Yeah, he felt bad about losing a quote-soldier-unquote, but he didn’t know Phil. Phil wasn’t his like Phil was Natasha and Clint’s.”

Clint smiles a little and looks over at Natasha. “He’s not wrong, Sam. Look, I like you. I like Steve. Bucky... eh. But none of you knew Phil like we did. He wasn’t just my handler. He was...” Clint trails off and Tony reaches up, putting his hand on Clint’s shoulder. “He was my lover, my best friend, my everything. And I’m responsible for his death. I brought Loki on board...” He trails off again and this time, Natasha reaches over as well and squeezes Clint’s shoulder next to where Tony’s hand is resting. “It’s no wonder he never called and told us. I’m the reason he was killed,” Clint says, voice cracking near the end. 

Natasha turns in her seat and gives Sam, Bucky and Steve a glare that has Tony scooting away. “You all need to shut the fuck up. You don’t know what you’re talking about and you never will. Out of everyone who is not in the front seat, Tony is the only other one who has an emotional investment in Phil Coulson. So the three of you will shut the fuck up about Phil Coulson.” She turns back around and buckles her seat belt. “Let’s get Tony to the hospital, Clint. Then after he’s been checked out, the three of us will go find Phil and get some answers.”

Tony sits back in his seat, buckling up as he closes his eyes. “Before we go, we should probably pick up some ice packs. I have freezers on the plane, but possibly not ice packs.”

“We’ll get you whatever you need, Tone,” Natasha says, reaching back and patting his knee.

Tony opens his eyes and grins at her. “Knew I liked you, Legal.”

“You better believe it, Boss.” She smiles at him then turns back front.

Tony chuckles a little and closes his eyes again. When he wakes up, he’s actually in the hospital and Steve is sitting by his bed. “Where.... Where in the hospital am I?” he mumbles, taking a slow breath. He doesn’t hurt anymore, which is not helping his confusion.

“Emergency. You wouldn’t wake up. They’ve done a... Cat scan? And an MRI?”

“Okay. Making sure my brain isn’t broken. PET?” 

“PET? Huh?” 

“Another brain scan.”

“We didn’t feel that was necessary,” Natasha comes in, sitting on the edge of Tony’s bed. “The good news is you don’t have a concussion. The doctors think the pain overwhelmed you, which is understandable. They’ve given you just codeine. I didn’t think you’d want morphine.”

“No morphine,” Tony mumbles. He sits up a little, groaning. “Ribs?” 

“Badly bruised, but no breaks,” Steve says softly, reaching up to push Tony back down. “They’ll be in to release you in a few minutes.”

Tony nods and looks at Natasha. “So, road trip? Or just a plane trip?” 

“Plane trip, then road trip.” She smiles and puts her hand on Tony’s knee. “We’re going to fly into Kalispell, Montana, then we’re driving up into the mountains. I guess their base is hidden up in the mountains, just outside of some national park out there.”

“Glacier,” Tony says using the controls to sit up more. “One of the Foundations galas was to raise money for Glacier National Park in Montana.” He smiles a little. “Steve should come with us. He’d like the mountains. No risk of losing his boyfriend by falling from a train,” he adds, eyes closing. He jolts a little a few minutes later when someone touches his arm. “Huh?”

“It’s been an hour, Tony. You’re lucky that the doctors actually have done all kinds of tests on you.” Natasha frowns at him. “Steve is pacing outside, stopping occasionally to yell at the doctors. He thinks something’s seriously wrong with you.”

“Don’t take pain pills usually,” Tony slurs. “Don’t like how they make me feel.”

“Well, they’ve stopped giving you pain killers. So you’ll be back to normal soon. And maybe Steve will stop acting like someone kicked his puppy.”

“Yeah, okay.” Tony swings his legs off the bed. “I’m ready to check out and get going.”

Natasha laughs a little. “I’ll go get the doctor. You get to tell Steve.” She heads out and Steve comes rushing in. 

“Tony, you passed out!” 

“I’m not used to pain killers, Steve. I only take Tylenol or Advil usually. I passed out ‘cause the drugs made me loopy. I’ll be fine, I promise. Besides, why do you suddenly care?” 

“I’ve always cared, you moron. I was worried about Bucky after everything he’d done as the Winter Soldier and you weren’t even remotely sympathetic! That’s why I told you to get out. I didn’t mean the whole facility.” Steve takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. “Tony, all you did was talk shit about Bucky. I wanted him protected right then. I didn’t want you to leave the facility though. I thought...” Steve looks away. “I thought we were becoming... something.”

“We were,” Tony says, reaching over and taking Steve’s hand. “I wanted us to be... But when I brought Bucky to the facility, suddenly, it felt like you wanted nothing to do with me. Like I wasn’t important.”

“I’m sorry I made you feel that way. I never meant to make you feel that way.” Steve flips his hand in Tony’s, squeezing it gently. “Can we start over?” 

“No.” Tony looks at Steve who looks at him, blue eyes shiny. “But we can start again.”

Steve smiles and nods. “So, we’re going with Natasha and Clint to Montana?” 

“Yeah.” Tony pulls Steve closer. “Sit on the bed.”

“Okay,” Steve says, sitting next to Tony. “Bucky and Sam? Who, by the way, are the ones dating.”

“Up to Natasha and Clint, really. I have no opinion.” Tony smiles. “Really? Bucky and Sam?” 

“Yeah. They really like each other.” Steve shrugs a little. “They’re good together and Bucky needs someone like Sam around.”

Tony smiles and leans against Steve, resting his head on Steve’s shoulder. “I’m still a little tired.” 

“You can sleep on the plane. It’ll be a few hours flight to Montana.” 

“Yeah. Can I use you as a pillow?” 

“Of course, Tony,” Steve murmurs, wrapping his arm around Tony’s back. “For as long as you need.”

“M’kay.” Tony drifts back off to sleep, feeling safe in Steve’s arms. 

to be continued


	2. New Friends and New Places to See

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, a second chapter. Hopefully, I will not make you wait a month and a half for the third.

Tony wakes up enough to sign himself out of the hospital and get into the car, then he’s asleep again, settled in the back seat next to Steve. The next time he’s awake, the plane is descending and Tony glances around, noting Steve is still next to him. Natasha and Clint are across from them, glaring at someone. When Tony can lift his head enough to really look, he spots Sam and Bucky, talking quietly. 

He rolls his eyes a little and sits up. “Are we in Kalispell?” 

Steve jumps, then turns to look at him. “Just landing. Are you feeling okay?” 

“Groggy, but good,” he mumbles. “Coffee?” 

Someone presents him with a cup, then sits down. Tony’s eyes go wide. “Bruce?” 

“Natasha called. Said you might need some help. Doctor kind of help. I tried telling her I wasn’t that kind of doctor...” He trails off and Tony smiles a little. 

“But no one listens,” he finishes for Bruce. “Good to see you.”

“You too. Heard you took a bit of a beating.” 

“Just a little,” Tony says, sipping at his coffee. “I thought we didn’t know where you were.” 

“Nat knows how to get a hold of me,” Bruce says, glancing at Steve. “She’ll help me get off the radar once we go see Phil.” 

“Maybe you should keep in touch with someone else, too,” Steve says softly. He looks at Tony, then back at Bruce. “Nat’s not the only one who misses you.” 

Bruce smiles at that and nods. “Maybe I can pass messages through Nat. What do you think, Tony?” 

Tony nods. “I’d like that. I’d like that a lot.”

Bruce settles back and glances out the window. “Are we all aware it’s snowing outside?”

Tony peers out the window and makes a face. “Uhm. Did we know this was the weather?”

Natasha smiles over at him. “We got all of us winter coats. We can stop at a local mall and pick up some more warm clothes.”

“Our coats won’t be enough?” Bucky asks, turning to look at everyone.

Clint growls at him and Natasha places her hand on Clint’s knee. “It could be 40 below, James. Do you really think that a winter coat would be enough?” 

Steve licks his lips. “Natasha is in charge of this whole operation, so if she says we need warmer clothes, we all get warmer clothes.”

Bucky frowns at Steve. “But... it can’t be that cold. It’s only Montana.” 

Steve snorts and shakes his head. “Buck, Natasha’s right. For all we know, it could be 40 below outside. It might be 30 above, but it would suck if we were out in this and it’s snowing and it was 20 above at first, then dropped to 20 below in an hour? That can happen anywhere. Better to be prepared, then not.”

“Yeah, but you guys don’t have to take Bucky’s head off. He’s not wrong in thinking winter coats would be enough. We’ll be in vehicles.” Sam frowns as he looks around the plane at everyone.

“And vehicles never break down?” Natasha snaps.

Steve gets to his feet. “Everybody, stop!” He sighs and shakes his head. “Bucky, Sam. I don’t want this whole thing to be about you two and that’s kind of what it’s becoming. I’m sorry, Buck, I love you. You know you’re my brother. But this? What we’re doing here? It’s not about you. It’s got nothing to do with your recovery, so you are going back to the training center. And Sam, I understand you feel like everyone is attacking Buck and you want to protect him, but you need to understand that to Natasha, Tony and Clint? This is about finding out someone they love isn’t dead. They need to focus on finding Coulson, not listening to you and Bucky argue at every point someone else brings up. So, you’ll accompany Bucky back to the training center.” When both men open up their mouths, Steve holds up his hand. “No. This is not up for debate. You do not get to argue your way back into this. You are going back.”

“Steve, that’s not fair,” Sam says, shaking his head.

“Neither of you even knew Phil. He’s nothing to you, so you’re not going any further.” Steve crosses his arms over his chest. “That is the end of this discussion, Sam.”

As the plane comes to a complete stop, everyone else starts getting to their feet. Steve raises one eyebrow at Sam and Bucky and Bucky nods, wrapping his arm around Sam’s shoulders. “We’ll go back,” Bucky mumbles. “I don’t necessarily agree with you about this, but we’ll do as you say for now. If you need us for anything, you know where we are.”

Steve nods and watches as Natasha and Clint head off the plane, Bruce and Tony trailing them. Tony looks back at him and Steve licks his lips. “I’ll see you guys later. I’m sorry,” he mumbles as he follows Tony off the plane. He accepts his winter coat from Natasha as they climb into an SUV. He buckles his seat belt, staring back at the plane. He jolts when Tony takes his hand and he looks at him. “I...”

“I’m sorry about what happened, Steve. If you want, you can go back with them. We’ll be okay. I have Natasha and Clint and Bruce.” Tony smiles a little sadly. “You should go be with your friends.”

“You guys are my friends too. And you’re more important than that.” Steve sighs and leans over, resting his head against Tony’s shoulder. “I’m so sorry that they behaved that badly. I should’ve just had them stay behind. I thought they wanted to help, not... All they cared about was being the center of attention.” He looks up at Natasha and Clint, then over at Bruce who’s on the other side of Tony. “I’m sorry about them. It would’ve been better if they had stayed behind like you all wanted them to.”

“It’s not your fault, Steve. They were fairly well behaved until Tony woke up,” Clint says, turning to look at them. “I’ll be honest here. I think they’re both jealous that you’re paying attention to Tony. Bucky has gotten used to being your only focus and Sam is used to having you focused on Bucky, which puts your attention on him. Since Tony got hurt, he’s been your focus. They’re mad because... I don’t know, because they’re jealous? And they’re childish.”

Steve smiles a little and rolls his eyes. “Yeah, I guess. But they’re grown men.” 

“Doesn’t matter, sometimes,” Tony murmurs, wrapping his arm around Steve’s waist. “Look at me. I’m childish sometimes. I’m jealous. I’m a moron. And if you’d been spending as much time with me the last few months as you have them, I’d be upset that I was no longer your focus. You’re not in the wrong here, Steve. When we’re done here, you can go back and spend time with them.” 

“I need to find a way to....” Steve sighs again.

Bruce reaches across Tony’s shoulders and puts his hand on Steve’s shoulder. “Steve, you’ll figure it out. But... For now, we need you here with us. I know you’re worried about Bucky, but can you be here with us?”

Steve nods and takes a deep breath, closing his eyes. “I’m here. I can’t not worry about Buck, but I’m here.”

Tony leans up and kisses Steve’s cheek. “You can still worry about him and Sam, but...”

“I’m here with you, Tony. I’m here for you.” Steve wraps his arms around Tony. “Just... be patient with me if I don’t seem like I’m all here.”

Tony presses against him, kissing Steve’s cheek again. “Absolutely.”

“Are we ready to go get some warm clothes and get going?” Natasha asks, glancing back at them.

“Yeah. Let’s get going,” Tony murmurs, closing his eyes as he rests against Steve. “I’m gonna sleep.”

“Are you sure you’re okay, Tony?”

“Yeah. I’m just tired, Steve.” He leans up, kissing Steve softly on the mouth. “I promise, I’m okay.”

Steve nods and reaches up with the arm around Tony and strokes Tony’s hair. “Okay. Sleep. I’ll borrow your phone and get your sizes from Friday, if that’s okay.”

Tony pulls out his phone and nuzzles against Steve. “Friday, download my size measurements and stuff to Steve’s phone.” He glances around the SUV and licks his lips. “Go ahead and get me whatever. As long as it’s warm, okay?”

“I’ll do whatever I need to to keep you warm,” Steve murmurs, kissing Tony’s temple. “Sleep, Tone. I’ll take care of you.”

“Trust you,” Tony mumbles in return as he falls asleep.

Steve watches Tony sleep for a few minutes, then looks up, a little startled to see everyone watching him. “What?” he whispers.

“You really care about him,” Bruce says, one eyebrow raised. “I thought that maybe you were.... I don’t know. I thought you were faking it just to ease the tension between the two of you. I never doubted you care,” he adds quickly when Steve starts to frown. “But I thought maybe the... Your attraction to him wasn’t quite... there.”

Steve frowns. “I know that I screwed up. But I’ve been attracted to him since we first met. I.” Steve sighs. “I never would’ve admitted it at the beginning, honestly. It’s taken me a while to get used to the fact that not only would I not be shunned for being into men, but that I wouldn’t get arrested for wanting to be with him.” He looks down at Tony and licks his lips. “This... Me and him? It’s so scary to me. It’s scary to try to come to terms with something you’ve pushed down in yourself for your whole life. I told myself when I was younger that no one could know that I like men. I’ve had to hide it my whole life, so yes. I pushed him away because I wanted him so much. I didn’t.” Steve sighs again and rubs his free hand through his hair. “I didn’t want him close to me because I’m still trying to get used to the fact that I can be with him, if he chooses me. Then there’s the fact of, why would Tony Stark choose Steve Rogers? Like honestly, why would Tony want me when he’s so gorgeous and amazing and he could have anyone?” Steve focuses on Tony again, licking his lips. 

“Because you’re Steve Rogers,” Natasha says, glancing back at him. “I’m not going to say that part of the attraction with Tony isn’t Captain America, but he’s more interested in Steve Rogers. He doesn’t want the perfect soldier. He wants the good man.” 

Steve flushes a little and nods. “Are you sure?”

“Of course we’re sure,” Clint says, looking at Steve in the mirror. “Tony isn’t the guy who wants the mask. He wants what he knows is behind the mask.”

“I hope you’re all right. Because I don’t want someone who just wants Captain America.”

“That’s not Tony.” Bruce looks at Steve and smiles a little. “He’s definitely more interested in you than your alter ego.”

Steve smiles a little. “I already love being around him, so... I want this. I want to be with Tony. If he’ll have me.”

“Good. The two of you need to talk, but after we’ve gotten to see Coulson,” Clint says. “Please, wait until then.”

“Of course, Clint. Getting to Coulson is more important than figuring out my relationship with Tony right now.” Steve reaches up with his free hand and squeezes Clint’s shoulder. “We’ll figure out what happened, I promise.”

Clint nods and focuses on navigating through traffic to the nearby mall. Steve hands over his credit card and tells Natasha his and Tony’s sizes as he settles in with Tony in his arms. He closes his eyes and holds on tight to Tony. “I think I‘m falling in love with you, Tony. Just thought you should know, even if I can’t say it to your face yet.” He lets out a sigh and licks his lips, hands stroking over Tony’s back and arm.


	3. And There's Nowhere Else that I'd Rather Be

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I cannot apologize enough for making you wait five frickin' months for this chapter. Once I realized it was taking this long, I had decided I wanted it to be a long chapter to make up for it and I wanted to pack a lot into the chapter, but that ended up not working. I finally figured out I was just pushing myself to hard to write more words than the chapter needed. So again, my apologies for taking so long and I hope this chapter makes up for it a little bit.

Tony wakes up when he hears the back door of the SUV slam closed and he looks around, eyes falling on Steve. He smiles softly, knowing that he probably forgave Steve way too quickly, but he couldn’t do anything but. He loves Steve. Besides, the more he thinks about it, the more he realizes that he would, and did, do the same thing when someone hurt Rhodey. Didn’t he blast Sam before the Falcon could even land after Rhodey got hurt? He’d do anything for Rhodey, even if his best friend had killed a bunch of a people. Not that he’s absolving Bucky of his parents’ deaths. Maybe Bucky doesn’t need to redeem himself, but Tony feels like he is owed a genuine apology. Someday, maybe he’ll get that.

He reaches up, stroking Steve’s cheek lightly. He’s loved this man in some way or another since he was five years old and he’d stumbled upon his father’s collection of Captain America memorabilia. He can still remember the beating he’d gotten at his father’s hands for daring to touch the photo of Steve pre-serum. Even now, Tony could admit that that’s the picture that drew him to Captain America. Not the propaganda posters, or the post-serum shirtless picture that Howard had, but the pre-serum shot of Steve. Even though the rest of the outfit had probably outweighed him by double-- just one of the other soldiers, that is-- Steve was still determined to fight. He never gave up. The stories Aunt Peggy would then tell him after she found out he knew about Captain America were mostly about the smaller version of Steve. Not Captain America, but Steve Rogers.

He leans in and brushes his lips over Steve’s forehead, just as the doors are opening and the others are climbing in. He turns to look at Bruce. “Hey Brucie, how’d the shopping go?” 

“Well, we got everyone outfitted for this absolutely crazy snow.” Bruce glances at Steve. “You two slept the whole time?” 

“I guess so.” Tony yawns and snuggles back into Steve. “How far until the base?” 

Natasha turns to face him, smiling slightly. “With Clint driving?”

“How many miles, then?” Tony amends his question. 

“Probably about thirty miles or so.”

“More like sixty,” Clint says softly. “It’s on the edge of the park, but it’s closer to the border and it’ll take an hour and a half to two hours, depending on the condition of the road.”

“Fun,” Tony says, reaching up and squeezing Clint’s shoulder. “You doing okay?” 

“I just want to get there and ask him...” Clint sighs and shrugs. “I’ll survive.”

“We’re here for you, Clint.” Tony squeezes his shoulder again before he settles back, curling into Steve. “Any chance we can turn the heater up a little?” 

“Of course,” Natasha says, reaching to fiddle with the heater. Soon, Tony can feel the heat flowing along the floorboards and he smiles. It’ll probably get too hot for Steve soon, but Tony needs the extra warmth. He sighs a little and lays his head on Steve’s shoulder, eyes drifting closed. 

This time when he wakes up, Steve is in a tank top, one arm around Tony’s shoulders. Tony licks his lips, looking around the car. Clint and Natasha aren’t in the front seat and Bruce isn’t in the car either. He frowns and lifts his head, looking at Steve. “Where is everyone?” 

“We’re at a gas station. Bruce went to get snacks, Tasha went to the bathroom and Clint is filling up the car.” Steve squeezes Tony’s shoulders. “Are you warm enough?” 

“Yeah.” Tony yawns and stretches before he snuggles back against Steve. “Why are you mostly shirtless?”

“I got too hot. I decided to take my coat and my shirt off rather than have them turn down the heater. Now, do you need to go to the bathroom?” 

“Yeah. You should put your shirt and coat back on. It’s cold out there.”

Steve kisses Tony’s forehead, then grabs his shirt, tugging it on before he pulls on his coat. They slide out of the car and head inside. Within a few minutes, Tony is joining Bruce at the counter, looking over his selection of snacks. “Really, Brucie? Granola? Trail mix? What are we? Squirrels?” 

Bruce laughs and shrugs. “I was just told to get snacks. No one said what kind of snacks.” 

Tony scoffs and turns on his heel, heading down the snack aisle. He comes back with his arms full of potato chips, candy, and popcorn. “Here. Add this to that. Drinks?” Tony glances at the bottles of water. “Bruce, have I taught you nothing? Don’t finish ringing us up,” he says to the cashier. He goes over to the drink coolers and grabs a bunch of waters and cold coffees and sodas before returning. “These too.”

“Tony, you’re going to go into a sugar coma one of these days,” Natasha says as she joins them, tossing a couple of bottles of Gatorade on the pile. “Clint does better with Gatorade.”

“Okay.” Tony looks around and spots Steve looking through the snack aisle. “Steve, we have a lot of stuff already.”

“I want some beef jerky.” He grabs a couple of bags and a couple of bags of sunflower seeds, walking over. “Are you all done cashing out?” 

Tony grabs Steve’s snacks and throws them on top of the pile. He smiles at the cashier. “There. Plus the gas on pump three.” 

“Your friend already brought in cash.” 

“Put it on my card, whatever the amount.” Tony glances out to see Clint starting in. “Give him back his cash.” 

She shrugs and starts ringing up the food, drinks and gas. When she gives the total, Tony hears Steve cough and he grins, handing over his credit card. “Here you go. It can all go in the same bags.”

She places everything in the bags, eyes wide as she hands over the cash Clint had given here. “Here’s your friend’s money.” She finishes ringing him up, handing over the credit card. 

Natasha smirks and takes the money and the card. “He doesn’t like to be handed things,” she says as she then tucks the card into Tony’s pocket and hands him the money.

“Thanks,” he says, grabbing the bags and the money and heading out to the car. He hands Clint the money as he climbs in the backseat. He starts rifling through the bags, licking his lips. “Steve, here’s your jerky and seeds.”

“Thanks Tony,” Steve says as he buckles up. He leans over, kissing Tony’s temple as Tony continues passing out snacks. “Thanks for buying too.”

“Of course, Steve. You all can’t go hungry,” he replies as he pulls out a candy bar and rips the wrapper. He takes a huge bite and opens one of the cold coffee drinks. He sips at it as he continues to eat the candy.

“At least eat something with substance,” Bruce says, replacing the candy bar with a granola bar. “It’s even mostly sugar.” 

Tony frowns at him, but begins eating it anyhow. Steve smiles over Tony’s head at Bruce and mouths ‘thank you’ at him. Bruce nods at him and focuses on eating his snacks. Tony snuggles back up to Steve as he continues eating, putting whatever Steve and Bruce hand him into his mouth. Eventually, Tony drifts back off to sleep.


	4. I'm Loving Every Step I Take

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for being patient with me. Enjoy this chapter.

Steve watches the scenery as they drive up to the mountains. It’s beautiful up here, he has to admit, and a part of him wishes Tony were awake to enjoy it with him. But he knows that Tony needs sleep more than he needs to be watching the snow around them. Steve shifts a little, working his coat off before he pulls Tony back into his arms. He looks up to see Natasha watching him with a soft smile on her face. “What?” 

“It’s cute, the way you’re cuddling with him. It’s obvious when you do that, how you feel about him. Just promise me something, Steve.” 

“What is it?” 

“Don’t hurt him. If this is a passing fancy, or just you experimenting, walk away now.”

“Tasha... I promise you, I will do my best to never hurt him again. It’s not a passing fancy. It’s not some experiment. I’m falling in love with him. And I have been falling in love with him for a long time. I just want a chance to show him that without... without distractions. And I can promise you that I won’t let Bucky and Sam distract me anymore. Bucky’s better. He doesn’t need me anymore. And I can see now that Tony? He’s the one who needs me. So I want to be there for him.”

Natasha smiles and nods, facing forward. “Good. Don’t make me have to hurt you.”

Steve smiles a little at that. He’s told her before that he is terrified of what she’s capable of. Not that she’s unfeeling, or uncaring, but she doesn’t let that stop her from doing what she needs to do. So he definitely has a healthy, respectful, fear of her.

He shifts a little, pulling Tony into his arms a little more as he settles in and closes his eyes. “Wake us when we get there,” he mumbles, nuzzling into Tony’s hair.

“We will,” Natasha says softly. Steve lets himself be lulled to sleep by the movements of the car and the soft sounds of his friends whispering around him.

He wakes up when they hit some rough road and he stares blearily out the window. “Where’re’we?” he mumbles as he sits up a bit.

“On the road to the Headquarters.” 

Steve just blinks at Bruce, then looks down at Tony who is scowling around the vehicle, taking each one of them in turn. “I was sleeping,” Tony mumbles, burrowing closer to Steve. “And what the fuck? It’s fucking cold. Turn the fucking heat up.” 

“Language,” Steve says, absently petting Tony’s hair. He grabs his own coat and wraps it around Tony. “You can turn up the heat, though.”

“Steve, you’re soaked with sweat. This cannot be good for you.” 

“And the rest of you are freezing,” Steve says to Bruce, smiling. “I appreciate you worrying about me, but it’s not going to get me sick or upset my body chemistry if it gets too hot. How... Star...”

“Howard. If you’re going to talk about my father, call him Howard.” Tony mutters it against Steve’s chest, barely audible, but Steve hears him easily. 

“Howard did experiments on how much heat I could take. I guess he never really thought about the cold thing, but obviously, my body will survive no matter how cold it gets.” Steve shrugs. “Turn up the heat as much as you need.”

Bruce frowns at him, but nods up at Natasha. “If he says he can stand it, let’s try it.” He focuses back on Steve. “I’d like to test your limits.” 

“If you move back into the tower, you can test me however you like.”

Tony giggles. “I get to test his stamina though, Brucie Bear.” 

Bruce flushes, snorting a little. “You do all the testing of his stamina you can stand, Tony.” 

“I will.”

Steve raises an eyebrow and looks at Natasha. “What am I missing?” 

“They’re talking about sex, Steve. As in Tony wants to see how long you stay hard.”

Steve grins and looks down at Tony. “My stamina is out of this world.” 

“Oh?” Tony asks, looking up at him, intrigued. 

“Let’s just say I had to stop masturbating because it was starting to hurt, not because I couldn’t get hard anymore.” Steve smiles when Tony’s eyes go wide.

“Okay, I’m liking the sound of this even more.” He grins and shifts a little, laying his head on Steve’s shoulder. “Got any caffeine?” he asks Bruce. Bruce opens the cooler and hands him a bottle of the iced coffee. “Thanks, Brucie Bear. You’re a lifesaver. By the way, Steve,” he turns to face his new boyfriend, “does your comment to Bruce about being in the tower to run tests on you mean you’re moving back in?” It’s obvious he’s trying to hide the hope in his voice, but the look on his face would give him away even if his voice hadn’t already. 

“If you’ll have me,” Steve says softly.

“Yes, of course. Your rooms are still your rooms. And I’ll even set Bucky and Sam up a floor.”

“Not necessary. They can stay at the base.” Steve kisses Tony’s forehead and smiles a little. “Unless you actually want them at the tower with the rest of the team.”

“I...”

“You don’t have to decide now, Tony. In fact... why don’t you wait a few months? Bruce and I can move back in, along with Natasha and Clint,” Steve says, glancing at the front seat.

“Yeah. It’d be good if I had an actual home type place for when I get the kids for weekends and stuff,” Clint says.

“And I’d love to actually have my bathroom back to myself. I’ve missed bath time,” Natasha says, smiling at Tony. “That is, if we’re allowed.” 

“Of course. Of course you guys are allowed back. I kept everything pretty much how you left it,” Tony says. “I mean, I’ve kept up the cleaning services but other than that, everything should be the same.” 

Natasha nods. “Good. We’ll move back in after we deal with Coulson.”

“Shield could take a few floors,” Tony say, sitting up and wrapping Steve’s coat tighter around him. “I mean, I could set them up with more tech and anything else they’d need. They could have a real base, not some hiding place in the middle of a national park.” 

Clint smiles into the rearview. “We’ll talk with him. After we’ve dealt with the yelling at him for never telling us that he’s alive.” 

“Then can we go beat up Fury?” Tony asks, grinning at the others. “After all, he had to have known about Coulson.”

Natasha’s eyes narrow and she looks at Clint. “He’s not wrong.” 

“Coulson first. Then you and Tony can deal with Fury.” Clint grins. “And with what’s left, Hulk can take care of it.” 

Bruce smiles a little. “He appreciates the sentiment, but I think he wants first shot.” 

Tony turns to stare at Bruce. “You can communicate with him now?” 

“Yeah. Your idea. Well, sort of. Remember how you told me that he wasn’t a different person, but a different part of my personality?” 

“Yeah. ‘Cause we were talking about Iron Man and how he and I are one.” 

Bruce nods. “I sort of... While I was away, I gave in. I didn’t force him out, but I offered to let him take over. He did and... I could control what was happening to a degree. He didn’t just lash out at everyone and everything. He just... He needed to get out. So I let him. And now he and I can communicate with each other.”

“That’s awesome. So you can be the other guy and then he’ll let you take over?” 

“Yeah. I can become him, then become me again pretty much at will.” Bruce smiles. “It’s the only reason I’m even thinking about coming back to New York. Plus, he and I have an agreement. He’ll stay inside unless I ask him to come out or let him or I’m in danger.” 

“Even if you get angry?”

“Even if,” Bruce says.

Tony beams. “Oh my God, that is awesome, Bruce. So you’re essentially in charge of him now?” 

“Sort of. It’s more of a mutual admiration thing.” Bruce smiles. “It’s almost peaceful now,” he adds. 

“That is amazing.” Tony nods. “I’m proud of you.”

Bruce smiles. “So, basically, I do want to come back to the Tower. I can’t say right now that coming back to the team is what’s best for me or the Other Guy, but I want to come back to the Tower. As much good as I can do in third world countries, something tells me I can do a hell of a lot more good in your Tower, with your resources.”

Tony nods. “Your lab is ready and waiting for you.” 

“Good. After we’ve done what we need with Coulson, then we’ll go back to New York together.” 

Steve smiles at the connection between the two scientists. “It’ll be good to have you back,” he says, reaching across Tony to clasp Bruce’s shoulder. 

Natasha smiles softly at Bruce. “It will.” 

Bruce smiles back at Natasha, cheeks flushing a little. “I...”

“I understand if you want to approach Betty, Bruce. But it will be good to have you back.” 

Shaking his head, Bruce smiles. “She’s getting married. To a Physics professor at Harvard.” At Natasha’s frown, his smile widens. “I did contact her. To tell her that I had fallen in love with someone else.”

Natasha licks her lips. “Oh really?”

He tilts his head. “You know who I fell in love with. Natasha, I wouldn’t have come back if it weren’t for you.” 

She gives him a soft smile. “Like I said, it will be good to have you back.” 

Bruce reaches up, taking her hand. 

Steve turns his attention back to Tony at the looks Bruce and Natasha are sharing. “So, Tony. Is my floor ready?” 

“Of course. I made sure none of your sketch books or art had been touched. None of your supplies have been touches. Like the others, all I did was have the floor cleaned. You know, dusted, vacuumed. That kind of thing.” 

“Good. I’ve missed my rooms.” Steve holds Tony closer, bending his head down to kiss Tony’s temple. “I’ve missed being able to come down to your workshop to see what you’re doing.”

“Now you’ll be able to do that to your heart’s content. And we can make a floor for Bucky and Sam. They don’t have to move in soon, but we can at least get a floor prepared for them. I know you’ll want Bucky and Sam close.” 

“As long as I have you, I really don’t mind if they’re not at the Tower. We’ll have phones and webcams and all that stuff to stay in contact with each other. I do not want them to continue to make you uncomfortable, so they should stay at the base.” 

“Well, okay. But maybe in a few months...” 

“Tony, I don’t want them at the Tower. I just... I don’t. I want to be able to give you all of my attention. I won’t be able to do that if you bring Bucky and Sam to the Tower.” Steve shrugs.

“Okay. I just thought you’d want your friends with you.” 

“I’ll have my friends with me. And as for Bucky and Sam? I’ll be able to see them whenever I feel like going to see them, but you won’t have to deal with their hostility on a daily basis. And yeah, maybe in a year or more, they’ll get over this stupidity of theirs over me and you and we’ll be able to have them come to the Tower. I do appreciate the offer to give them their own floor though.”

“I’d do anything for you, Steve.”

“I’m starting to get that.” Steve dips his head and kisses Tony softly. “Just keep in mind that being willing to do anything for me doesn’t mean you put yourself at risk to be insulted or letting other people walk all over you. That includes me. Don’t ever let me put you down, because you do not deserve that, Tony. You are better than that.” 

Tony snorts a little. “Not the usual consensus of things.” 

“I don’t give a fuck what other people think. I was wrong when we first met. None of the men I’ve known in the past are worth any miniscule part of you. You are worth a million of them, because you are everything a hero should be. You are everything a man should be, Tony.” 

Tony flushes and ducks his head. “Steve...” 

“I mean it, Tony. You are incredible and we’re all lucky to have you in our lives. You are the most generous, sweetest, funniest, kindest person I’ve ever met. I don’t care about the money, or the genius, or the playboy crap you spout. You being a philanthropist just proves my point. Tony, you are an incredible person and you’re the only reason I’m glad I woke up when I did. Because it meant I got to meet you.” 

“Yeah, but Howard...” 

“No.” 

“What?” 

“No. Howard was an arrogant, sexist, not damn near as smart as he thought, jerk. And he wasn’t a quarter of the man you are.”

Tony closes his eyes and curls up against him. “But he... He always said you and he were best friends.” 

“We were acquaintances. He flirted with Peggy far too much for my liking. And he had brilliant ideas, but he was never quite capable of following through on all of them. Granted, when he made my uniform, he did a good job and the shield was possibly his best made invention. But you? You are the best thing he ever did.” 

“You’re the best thing he ever did. He’d tell me often enough.” 

“Oh my God. Bruce, can you please make time travel a thing so I can go back in time and punch Howard in the face?” 

“I’ll work on that,” Bruce says, chuckling a little. 

“Tony, you are the best thing he ever did. Maybe, _maybe_ he had a little to do with me becoming this,” at that statement, Steve gestures to his body, “but it was Erskine’s formula that did most of the work. Your dad had nothing to do with the serum. It was just that his machine was needed too. I’m sure that Erskine could’ve made the machine though.” 

Tony smiles a little. “Do you really want to go back in time to punch my dad?” 

“Yes. Or bring him here so I can punch him. Jackass deserves more than that, but that’s about the only amount of time I’ll exert on him.” Steve cups Tony’s face and lifts his chin up so he can stare into Tony’s eyes. “I said when we first met, “I know men with none of that worth ten of you,” and I was wrong. I said it just a minute ago but I’ll rephrase. You’re worth more than a million other men. You are the best thing to ever happen to me, Tony Stark.” 

Tony lets out a shaky breath and pulls free from Steve’s hand on his face and he buries his face against Steve’s chest. “I’m already in love with you, Steve. You don’t have to convince me to fall even harder.”

“I’m just trying to prove to you that I love you. That it is you that I love. It’s not about the man who fathered you. It’s about you, Tony. Nothing else. Just you.” 

Nodding against Steve’s chest, Tony wraps his arms around Steve. “Okay. I’ll stop trying to make you happy.” 

Steve chuckles a little. “It’s not that, Tony, and you know it. Right now, having Bucky and Sam around would be detrimental to you as well as our burgeoning relationship.” 

“Did you really just use burgeoning in a sentence?” Clint asks, eyeing them in the rearview mirror.

“Yes. And I used it correctly.” Steve smiles at Clint. “You focus on driving. Tony, I love you and I will do whatever it takes to make you realize that’s the truth.”

Tony flushes and ducks his head. “I believe you believe that.” 

“That’s a step in the right direction at least,” Steve says softly.

“So, you really want to punch Howard? I guess I always figured if time travel became possible, you’d bring him back and he ecstatic to see your old buddy. I’m sorry, I know I asked before, but I just can’t get over this.” 

“Not in a million years would I be happy to see Howard. Especially now that I know the kind of man he really was.” Steve looks at Tony. “Besides, I’d have to kill him if he said something derogatory about you. So you and Bruce figure out a way to send me back in time and I’ll go back and punch him, then come back here to you.” 

Tony smiles and hugs Steve tighter. “Bruce and I will consult with Jane and Selvig. Between the four of us, we should be able to figure it out.” 

“I think you’ve finally found something that frightens me,” Natasha says, giving Tony a smile. 

“Time travel?” Tony tilts his head, one eyebrow raised. 

“No. You and Bruce getting together with Jane and Dr. Selvig. I’m fairly sure the four of you could make the universe implode.” 

“No universe implosions,” Bruce says. “Just time travel so that Steve can punch Tony’s father.” 

Steve chuckles and shifts in his seat. “Are we anywhere close to stopping? Because I might have to use the bathroom again.” 

“We’re just about to a little town called Polebridge. I believe there’s a general store there we can use the bathroom in. Maybe.” Clint shrugs as he turns down an even bumpier road then the one they were on. “I really hope nothing falls off the car on these roads.” 

“It’ll hold until we get there. Then Phil will just have to fly it back to Kalispell and us with it,” Tony says. “Also, these bumps are making me have to pee. Are we getting to... Polebrigde? What kind of town name is that? Anyways, is that close?” 

“Yeah. About fifteen minutes,” Clint says. “Just hold it, or pee in a bottle.” 

“How ‘bout I pee on your head?” Tony asks, sticking his tongue out at Clint.

“Keep your kinky shit to yourself,” Clint says, chuckling. 

Tony laughs outright at that. “Oh my God. You’re crazy, Clint.” 

“You’re the one who said you were gonna pee on my head.” 

“Idiot,” Tony says it fondly. “Just get us to Polebridge.”

Clint laughs again and just keeps driving. 

Steve pulls Tony closer to him, nuzzling his hair. “When we get back, we should go on a date.” 

“A date?” 

“Yeah. Dinner. A movie. I don’t know. Something along those lines.” 

“Dancing?” Tony asks, lifting his head a little.

“Maybe. I’m not much of a dancer, but... if you’ll teach me...” Steve trails off, a little surprised it doesn’t hurt as much as he’d thought it would at the idea of letting someone other than Peggy teach him to dance. 

“Well, if you want me to, I’d be happy to teach you.” Tony leans up and kisses him softly.

Steve smiles into the kiss, pulling back to look into Tony’s eyes. “I’d really like that.” 

“Okay then. We’ll go to dinner at a nice little Italian place I know, then we’ll go dancing. And I know just the place. It’s this little 40s retro dance hall. If that’s okay with you? I don’t think you’d like any of the other dance clubs I know.” 

“Whatever you think is best, Tony. Though maybe someday we can go to one of those other dance clubs?”

“Oh. Yeah. I like that idea,” Tony says, smiling and licking his lips.

“Steve, you do know there’s mostly techno music and a lot of bumping and grinding in those places,” Natasha says, glancing back at him. 

Steve shrugs. “I don’t mind the music and... well, if I have Tony showing me how to dance, I’ll be okay.”

“Okay, it’s gonna have to be a double, because I want to see that,” Clint says, smiling into the rearview. “Nat, you’ll be my date, yeah?” 

“To watch Steve bumping and grinding? Hell yes. Bruce, we’ll get you a date as well, so you can witness it too.” 

“Maybe I can go along with you and Clint.” 

“Yeah. We can have a threesome.” Clint snorts and then flinches when Natasha hits him. “I meant a threesome date. Not like a mini orgy, Nat.”

Steve flushes and shakes his head. “Okay, no one is going on our date, except Tony and me. So, knock it off you guys.” 

Natasha looks back at Steve and smiles. “We won’t go on your date with you. Tony will just allow us to have Friday hack into the video feeds so we can watch.” 

Steve frowns and then looks at Tony pleadingly. Tony smiles at Steve. “I will give Friday orders not to show them anything. Whatever happens on our date is between you and me.” 

“Thank you.” Steve kisses Tony softly. He looks up as the car comes to a stop and glances out the windows, making a face. “Is this Polebridge?” 

“Yeah. It is,” Clint says, chuckling. “Not much of a town.”

Tony shrugs and pushes at Steve. “Out. I have to pee.” He keeps pushing until Steve climbs out of the vehicle. Then he jogs up the steps and into the little general store. Steve stretches and starts for the store, planning to use the bathroom after Tony’s done. He glances behind him as the others all climb out of their car and stretch as well. He smiles and heads into the store.


	5. With the Sun Beating Down

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At least it wasn't five months until this update, right? Heh.

When they head back to the car, Steve stops short, Tony walking into his back. “What the heck, Steve?” 

Steve doesn’t say anything, just shakes his head. He can’t believe the car is surrounded by Shield Agents. “Clint? Tash?” 

“It’s okay, Steve,” Clint says, waving him down. “This is Agent Melinda May. She’s Coulson’s right hand. Or are you his left, May?” 

“None of your business, Barton. You and Agent Romanoff need to get back in the car and turn around and go back the way you came. He’s moved on.” 

“Well, we haven’t,” Natasha says, moving up to Agent May’s side. “You can try it, little girl,” Natasha threatens, “but I’ll have her neck snapped before you pull the trigger. Don’t fuck with me.” 

Steve walks as calmly as he can down the steps of the little general store, straightening up. “There’s no need for violence. From either side,” he adds, glancing at Natasha and Clint, both of whom have their hands on their weapons. “Everybody, put your weapons down and no one needs to get hurt.” 

“That’s what you think, blondie,” an average, Englishman says. 

He’s promptly hit by a good-looking brunette with wavy hair. “Idiot. Hunter, that’s Captain America.”

“What do I care what his rank is... oh shit. Bobbi...” 

Clint’s gaze snaps over to them. “Hey Mockingbird.” 

“Hawkeye.” The woman named Bobbi smiles at Clint. “Long time no see, hubby.” 

“Ex,” Clint reminds her, glancing at Hunter. “I seem to remember you liked keeping your exes at a distance.” 

“Things change,” she murmurs. She looks at the rest of the Avengers. “Besides, you’re hanging with some serious power now.” 

“True. I don’t exactly miss the old days.” He glances at the rest of their team. “Introduce your team?” 

Bobbi nods. “This is Hunter. Over there we’ve got Mack and Triplett. Behind them-- the nerdy looking duo-- is Fitz Simmons. You were already introduced to Agent May. And on the other side of Agent May and Black Widow is Daisy Johnson, also known as Quake, and her partner, Lincoln.”

Steve nods back and looks at the rest of the Agents. “Agent Johnson, put your gun down and, Widow, back away from Agent May.”

Daisy tucks her gun away and looks over at the rest of the team, all of whom are standing down. May scowls. “Why are you obeying him? I don’t care that he’s Captain America. He is not our boss.” 

“We’re listening because he’s Captain America,” Daisy says, smiling over at May. “Plus, they’re the Avengers. They are kind of in charge.”

Steve looks over at May and nods. “You’re right. I’m not your boss. But your boss is very important to all of us. Tony, Clint and Natasha especially need to see and talk to Coulson. So please, I’m asking you nicely to please take us to see Coulson.”

May makes a face and sighs. “Fine. But the second he tells you guys to leave, you will go or I will make you.” 

Steve nods. “Agreed. Now, we’ll load into our vehicle and follow you.” 

“No. Stow their vehicle, Mack.” May walks over to the field across from the General Store. Suddenly, a stealth jet appears and she climbs on board, gesturing for the others to join her.

Steve is the first to follow her, Tony and the rest of the Avengers quickly following, and then they are followed by Coulson’s team. Steve stands, offering his seat to the women and when he gets looked at weird for that, he offers it to Tony. Tony chuckles and kisses his cheek, then pushes Simmons into the seat. “Trust me, this is just the way Captain America is. He is from the forties after all.”

Simmons smiles, blushing a little. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been around a gentleman like that.”

Steve smiles back. “Well, more men need to try to be gentlemen, in my opinion. I firmly believe that women are equal to, or in most cases, better than, men, but men should still be treating ladies with respect, not acting afraid of women who are strong and independent.” 

Daisy looks at Natasha. “Is he for real?” 

“I’ve threatened him bodily harm-- and we’ve sparred enough that he knows I can do it-- if he calls me ma’am, but he still does it. Pepper Potts has actually hit him for his chivalrous behavior. It’s very strange, but also very real. He firmly believes what he’s saying. He truly believes that women should be treated with respect in a way men aren’t and men don’t.” Natasha grins over at Steve. “And no amount of threatening him will make him stop,” she adds, glancing up at May. “You’re easily as good a fighter as I am, but trust me. You can threaten him with anything and everything and he won’t care. He will still call you ma’am, give up his seat for you, open doors for you, and weirdest of all, especially for agents of Shield, he will always treat you like a lady.”

May snorts and turns to look at Steve. “If you ever call me ma’am, I will hurt you.” 

“Yes ma’am,” Steve says, nodding. He wrinkles his nose when he realizes he’d said it anyhow, but he just offers a smile. “My apologies.” 

May rolls her eyes and faces front again. “Oh my God.” 

Bobbi laughs and shakes her head. “Wow. Okay, all of our men here need to take lessons from the Captain. Fear us, respect us, and still treat us right.” 

“We already fear you,” Triplett says. “And we respect you.” He grins. “But I’d love to hang out with Captain America.” He looks over at Steve. “I don’t usually mention this, but... My grandfather was one of your Commandos. So was my grandmother, actually.” 

Steve raises an eyebrow. “I... Gabe was your grandfather?”

“Yeah. He... He didn’t really talk about the Howling Commandos. By the time I came along, he was one of the only guys left. It was him and Dum Dum.” 

Steve clenches his jaw and nods. “Your grandmother?” 

“Peggy Carter,” he says softly. Then he smiles a little. “As you know, she doesn’t really care about people’s opinions of her. Never has and I’m pretty sure never will.” He looks down. “She talked about you more. But Grandpa, he lived for a long time. He died at ninety years old. Just old age, really. Got pneumonia and couldn’t shake it. But he lived a good life.”

Steve nods, letting out a shaky breath. “I’ve been to see Peggy. She never mentioned a grandson in Shield.” 

“She doesn’t remember.” Triplett makes a face. “By the time I joined up, she was already heavy into the Alzheimer’s. I tell her every time I see her, but she never seems to remember.”

“I knew she’d married Gabe. I saw the pictures.” Steve smiles. “Did they get married in the States?” 

“No. Over in England. But they moved back after.” Triplett looks down. “I’d love to know what you knew about my grandfather.”

“Yeah. We can talk, provided Coulson doesn’t kick us out immediately. But even if he does, you can get my cell number from him and we can meet up somewhere.” 

Triplett nods. “I’d really like that.” 

Steve smiles again. “So would I.”

Tony leans against Steve’s side. “We met when you were a baby. Aunt Peggy brought you to see my dad.” 

Triplett looks over at Tony and smiles. “I know Grandma used to talk about you. I always wished we would’ve gotten to meet in person.” 

“Now we’re getting our chance,” Tony says. “If I’m welcome in yours and Steve’s meeting about your grandfather, I’d like to come and put in my two cents about your grandmother?” 

“Of course, you’re welcome. As long as Steve agrees,” Triplett says, looking over at Steve.

Steve nods and grins at both men. “Of course. I’d love to hear about Gabe and Peggy.”

Triplett smiles and nods. “Good. By the way, you don’t have to call me Triplett. You can call me Trip or my first name is actually Antoine.” He looks over at Tony and shrugs. “Not really after you, but Grandma loved your name so much, my mom decided to choose a name her mother loved.” 

Laughing, Tony shakes his head. “Aunt Peggy was the best.” 

“She really was,” Triplett says. “And you can talk to us about how well you knew them before we ever came along?”

“I’d like that. I’d really enjoy sharing Peggy and Gabe with you both.” Steve smiles and slides his arm around Tony’s shoulders. “You doing okay, Tony?” 

Tony nods, resting his head on Steve’s shoulder. “Little tired. Little sore. Looking forward to seeing Coulson again.”

Steve nods, rubbing his hand up and down Tony’s arm. “Soon, hopefully.”

Tony nods again, straightening up as the jet begins to descend. He takes a deep breath, letting it out slowly before he takes another and repeats the process several more times. Steve finds himself breathing with Tony, trying his best to keep Tony calm. 

After they land, Tony looks at Clint and Natasha, both of whom nod at him and hold their hands out. Steve lets go of Tony and moves over to Bruce. The two of them walk behind their teammates as they head into the large, open hangar. Standing by the doors into the facility is none other than Coulson. Steve tenses, observing Tony, Natasha, and Clint carefully. He’s not sure if they’re going to want hugs or to punch Coulson for lying to them. 

He watches as Coulson starts forward and stops first in front of Natasha. He cups her face in his hands and murmurs something softly which has all the tension in her shoulders and neck melting away. She nods and when she turns, Steve notices her eyes are shining bright. He had always wondered what it would take to make Natasha cry, and apparently, it’s seeing Coulson alive after they’d believed he was dead for so long.

Coulson’s next stop is Tony and he holds his hand out for Tony to shake. Tony shakes his head, muttering something too low for anyone but Coulson to hear and Coulson pulls Tony into a hug. Steve can see him murmuring apologies to Tony, but he can’t hear them. 

He has to look away when Coulson approaches Clint though. Clint’s whole body is tensed, prepared to either fight or flee, and Steve’s not sure which would be better, given that Coulson’s new team is just as protective of him as the Avengers ever were.

Meanwhile, Tony makes his way over to Natasha, who slides her arm around Tony’s waist. Tony leans into the touch and Steve’s heart breaks for his new love. Tony looks so devastated, so whatever Coulson had said wasn’t enough to make things better for Tony.

He hears a dull thud and looks over, eyes wide when he sees Coulson bleeding from the nose and Clint standing there, whole body now shaking. Steve approaches, but Natasha and Tony get there first. Steve takes a step back and lets Tony and Natasha pull Clint away. 

May moves over to Coulson and touches his shoulder, murmuring something, but Coulson shakes his head. “I’m fine,” he says, loudly enough for everyone in the hangar to hear. He looks over and smiles, eyes not matching the gesture. “Captain. Doctor. It’s good to see you both again.” 

“And you,” Bruce says, looking him over. “It doesn’t look broken.” 

“It’s not. Clint pulled the punch.” Coulson looks at Steve. “I can only apologize to all of you. I didn’t know Fury was going to lie and use my almost death to make you bend to his will. Trust me, if I’d been able, I would’ve prevented it. And now we’ve got so much other stuff going on...” Coulson sighs. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you all sooner that I am alive.” 

Steve nods. “I accept your apology, but Tony, Clint, and Natasha all deserve more than apologies. Are you going to have us removed from the base?” 

“No. In fact, I’ve got some of our agents preparing rooms for the five of you. No Thor?” 

“As far as I know, Thor isn’t on Earth.” Steve shrugs and looks over to Tony and Clint and Natasha. “Will you explain it all to them?” 

“Yes. I plan to.”

Nodding, Steve looks back at Coulson. “Good. Then that’s enough for me. I barely knew you... and Fury ruined your cards or I would’ve signed them. Not sure what kind of gesture that would’ve been, but...” 

“I appreciate the thought, Captain. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I do have an agency to run. I’ll meet with you all for dinner. May, be nice to our guests.” 

May glares after Coulson and turns to Steve and Bruce. “Grab your stuff and follow me.”

Steve grabs his and Tony’s backs, along with Clint’s and lets Bruce get his own and Natasha’s. “What about them?” he asks, looking over to where the other three are still huddled together. 

“Daisy can watch over them. She’ll stay at a distance and lead them to their rooms.” May looks over her shoulder at him. “It’s not that I think you’re bad people, Captain, I just don’t like it when Coulson is upset.” 

“I understand. I feel the same way about my team, so I won’t hold it against you, if you don’t hold my protectiveness against me.” 

“Deal.” She turns and smiles, gesturing to a room. “It’s a suite of rooms. Three rooms, so you’ll have to bunk up some. But there’s every amenity you could want. Each room has its own en suite bathroom. There’s a large living space with a small kitchen that’s fully stocked. Daisy will bring the rest of your team in a little while.” 

“Thank you, Agent May,” Steve says as she walks off down the hall. He turns to Bruce and smiles a little. “Well, at least we’re going to be close to each other.” 

“Possibly too close,” Bruce says, chuckling. “Do you cook?” 

“Yeah. I figure you and I can share cooking duties because I know Natasha and Clint can’t cook and from what little I talked to Pepper, Tony can’t cook either.” 

“He’s horrible at it.” Bruce nods. “You and Tony can share one room, whichever has the biggest bed. Natasha, Clint, and I will figure out the rest.” 

Steve nods and sets Clint’s bag near one of the doors as he goes to another. It’s a huge king sized bed in the middle of the room and little else, aside from the door to the bathroom. Steve smiles a bit and nods, setting his and Tony’s bags down near the bed. He turns when the door opens and Tony steps in, reaching out to Steve who goes to him willingly. “C’mere, Tone. How are you doing?” 

“I don’t even know. Coulson pulled Tasha away from us.” Tony buries his face against Steve’s neck. “He said he wanted to speak to each of us privately.” 

“Well, that’s probably a good thing, yeah? I mean, this way he can explain what happened to each of you and apologize to you separately.” Steve rubs his hands up and down Tony’s back.

“Clint’s really pissed off,” Tony mumbles. “He hit Coulson. I didn’t think he was capable of that kind of violence towards someone he cares about, but he punched him!” 

“I know. I don’t think he’d hurt any of us that way. He’s just really upset that Coulson was alive, but didn’t come to find him to tell him he’s alive.” 

Tony nods. “Ugh. I’m so tired. Can we nap?” 

“Anything you want, Tony,” Steve murmurs, pulling back a little to help Tony out of his clothes. “What do you want to sleep in?” 

“Nothing. Please? I don’t even want to have sex, I just want to feel you.” 

Steve nods and gets Tony naked and into bed before he strips himself down and joins Tony. He pulls Tony into his arms, letting Tony rest his head on Steve’s chest. “Is this okay?” 

“Perfect,” Tony mumbles. He lets out a sigh and scoots closer, pressing against Steve completely. “I love you,” says Tony softly. 

“I love you,” Steve replies, still stroking Tony’s back. “Get some sleep. I’ll stay here.”

Tony nods and soon, Steve can hear his deep, even breathing. He smiles slightly to himself and lets himself fall asleep.


End file.
